Emergency Assistance in Response to Crop Failure in Lesotho

About this Operation

Operation Documents

Budget Revisions

Resource Situation

This Operation has been modified as per Budget Revision 1 (see below).

Lesotho experienced its heaviest rainfall in the last ten years between December 2010 and February 2011, resulting in major floods which inundated much of the country. The farming sector has suffered heavy losses, including crops and seasonal employment opportunities. Based on the preliminary analysis of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) in MarchApril, the United Nations agencies immediately responded through the Central Emergency Response Fund to assist 174,000 people with agricultural inputs, food, water, sanitation and health services. WFP assisted 8,000 people with food for three months (April-June 2011) and extended its ongoing blanket supplementary feeding activity to a further 16,000 people (children under 2 and pregnant and lactating women) in the highland districts from June onward.

Countries

Lesotho's 2009 harvest saw a 10% drop in maize production compared to 2008 due primarily to more land being left fallow because of the high cost of inputs, such as seeds and fertiliser. However, there was a 57% increase in sorghum - the third annual increase in succession....